Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1887-02-17
A Quaint Old Story.

LOIS (nldsey was our -granulnotl-
er, and, when She was a little girl, the Gus
toms were quite different in many ways
from what they are now.
Lois lived on farm in New England.
She was the Youngest child in the family.
and used to wind the quills in the loom
room for her mother. The quills were
pieces of small reeds on which her mother
wound the yarn which formed the woof Of
whatever kind of cloth she was weaving.
Sometimes it was full cloth" for the men
and boys clothes, and other times il was
flannel for blankets or linsey voo!Scy for
the girls winter dresses. The mother and
the elder sisters made all the clothing
themselves They spun the wool on a
large wheel and the fax on a small wheel ;
and they each had their specified number
of wards of linen and woolcn 10 weave
every season.
one day in the fall of the year. the
mother was in great hurry 10 get piece
of cloth out of the loom before night, to
make pelissc or CLOAK, for Lois that
week As fast a. the yarn was woven of
from the quills, Lois wound more on.
While they were in the midst of their
work. Lois looked out of the window and
saw the parson Clergyman we would
call him now and three deacons, all on
little girl'> face grew pale In an instant a.
she exclaimed, Here comes Parson Brown
and the three dcacons ~
"Oh, dear me-" the mother replied;
land Mrs Brown is coming. too.
Yes. the parsons wife was riding behind
her husband on a cushion, which they
called pillion in those days. That was
the way they went visiting oftentimes, for
carriages were not as common as they are
now. The looms shuttle was fastened; ;
and Mrs. Chidsey got on another cap (an
the mothers wore caps then,) and put on a
clean apron, and called to her eldest daugh-
ter. Philura. to hang the tea-kettle on the
crane over the fire.
Lois knew very well what Parson Brown
and the dcacons were coming for. 1t was
the custom at that time for the children of
the parish 10 be catechiScd once in 50
often. The little girl had thought so
much about her new pelisse and Sunday
LnSey-woolsey dress that the catechism
had been living unopened on the three
legged round stand by her bed Not to
know her questions was hardly 10 be
thought of. SO She got the little book and
came down the back stairs. and went into
the barn and climbed up on the haymow.
hiding herself in the hay in the farther
corner She heard the boys called in from
the orchard where they were picking up
apples and her father left the piece he was
blowing for rye; and all went into the
house and put on their Sunday best. be
cause the parson and his wife and the
dcacons had come
Lois knew very well a search would soon
be made for her: and she was not surprised
to hear her brother Simeon calling Lois !,
Lois Chidsey! The parson and the deacons
are here to catechise."
Mrs. Chidsey and the two elder daugh-
tiers went into the sitting-room to talk to
the parsons wife, while the blinds were
opened in the best room, as the parlor
was called then, and the fire lighted in the
great fireplace. The boys and keziah,
the sister next older than Lois, sat down
in the straightforward chairs to be cate
chised. They kept looking at the door to
see Lois come in. but she didn't make her
appearance.
The clergyman of a church (meeting-
houses they called them them knew every
child in each household. OF course, in
quiry was made for Lois; and, when the
mother found out the child had absented
herself so long, she began to think that the
catechism had been neglected and the lit
tie girl had gone to a neighbor's to get out
of sight and hearing. When grandmother
told US the story, she said she was certain
her good mother understood her feelings,
and made the matter of her absence as
light as she could. She told the minister
that Lois must have stepped out which
was perfectly true; but she had not only
stepped out" but also climbed up as high
as she could get, away from "Sanctifca-
ton, Justification, and Adoption" The
tea was stepped, the apple-sauce and
doughnuts, with the newly cut cheese,
were put upon the table; and the visitors
all sat down to supper.
1t was necessary to return home before
"candle-light," as they called it. Every
body used tallow candles then; and, when
they had meetings in the red school-house
at the foot of the hill near Mr.. Chidsey's,
every member of the family carried can
die in a candle-stick, and put it on the long
desk. When the candles were nearly
burned out. the parson closed the meeting.
1t was quite cool in the fall, and Lois
felt chilled in the old barn when the wind
came through the large cracks. So she COW
cred herself up in the hay, and by and by
she fell asleep. As soon as the visitors
had finished their supper, they rode away !;
and the parson said, II will catechise Lois
another time"
Lois must have gone over to see Aunt
Temperance" her mother said, as Mr..
Chidsey expressed great surprise at her
disappearance from the house So Simeon
and Benjamin walked across the lots to
see if she were there. But Aunt Temper
ance and Uncle Elijah had neither of them
seen her. Then she must certainly have
gone to Cousin John Ashley's. But Cousin
Johns folks hadn't seen her.
When the family heard this, they became
greatly alarmed; and the neighbors started
to look in the woods, and one even walked
on the bank of the river, holding the Ian
tern down close to the waters edge. Still,
Lois slept on. But at length she woke up,
and it was very dark. Confusing thoughts
of Parson Brown, his wife on pillion,
and three deacons' heads sticking out of
the hay, together with a great catechism
as large as the barn itself, and monstrous
black letters of questions on the pages,
came into her mind. But soon all was
| clear to her. She was in the barn, and had
fallen asleep. The moon began to rise just
then, and she got down the ladder, and
A..